Florida’s 2025 home opener was more than just a basketball game—it was a celebration of championship glory and a statement of continued dominance. The third-ranked Gators hung their national championship banner from last season before dismantling North Florida 104-64 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Coming off a disappointing season-opening loss to Arizona just days earlier, Florida responded with overwhelming force, using a 27-3 first-half run to build a commanding 23-point lead they would never relinquish.
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The Dynamic Duo
Junior forward/center Alex Condon and senior center Micah Handlogten provided a masterclass in frontcourt dominance, each recording impressive double-doubles. Condon led all scorers with 25 points while pulling down 10 rebounds, marking his 10th career double-double.Handlogten added 17 points and 13 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action—his sixth double-double as a Gator and his first back-to-back performance at UF.
For Condon, the performance represented a personal redemption after struggling in the Arizona loss. “I think I just didn’t really play my game last week, a lot of things didn’t go my way,” Condon reflected. “I just wanted to prove myself a little bit, get back to what I do and I think the reason I was recruited is my physicality, my rebounding, so just get back to that, keep it simple.”
Head Coach Todd Golden praised his star big man’s response: “He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself or making excuses. He was just like, I’m going to get back to it and get back to what I know… Just an insane, All-American level type night.”
Rebounding Dominance
The Gators absolutely owned the glass, out-rebounding North Florida by a staggering 62-24 margin—a plus-40 differential that allowed them to control every aspect of the game. Florida set a program record with 29 offensive rebounds, converting them into 40 second-chance points.
“It’s satisfying, but it’s also, I don’t want to say expected, but it’s what we need to be if we want to be really good,” Golden said of the rebounding performance. “When we play teams that don’t have the depth and the size, the physicality in the front line that we do, we have to impose our will.”
The Gators dominated inside, scoring 66 points in the paint while shooting an efficient 34-for-49 (.694) from two-point range.
Balanced Scoring Attack
While Condon and Handlogten led the charge, Florida received contributions throughout the roster. Thomas Haugh scored 12 points, while Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland each added 10. Rueben Chinyelu contributed eight points and nine rebounds, and Isaiah Brown nearly reached a double-double with career-high marks of nine points and nine rebounds.
Historic Debut
The game featured a memorable moment when redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux checked in, becoming the tallest player in college basketball history at 7-foot-9.His teammates were visibly excited to see him take the court.
“So much fun,” Handlogten said about Rioux’s debut. “When he was checking into the game I kind of stopped him and I was like ‘play with confidence, you’ve worked your butt off for two years now to get to this spot, now is your moment, it’s your time to shine.’ Seeing him out there, running up and down the court with a little smile on his face, it was really good to see.”
For his part, Rioux took the historic moment in stride. When asked what it means to be the tallest player to ever play in the sport’s history, he responded simply: “It’s just another day, I guess.”
Room for Improvement
Despite the dominant victory, the Gators know they have areas to address. Florida struggled from beyond the arc, converting just 6 of 32 three-point attempts, bringing their season total to a concerning 13 of 59 from three-point range.
“Obviously would like to knock down some more shots when we went 6-for-32 from three, that’s not good,” Haugh acknowledged. “But that’s going to happen, we got the guards that are shooters and the bigs that can shoot too, that’s just going to keep getting better as time goes.”
Looking Ahead
The victory improved Florida to 1-1 on the season and 12-0 all-time against North Florida, including a perfect 10-0 record at home. As the defending national champions begin their title defense, the Gators showed they possess the physical dominance and depth to remain among the nation’s elite—even if their perimeter shooting needs refinement.
With several players making impressive debuts, including freshman Alex Lloyd and transfers like Alex Kovatchev, Florida demonstrated the roster depth that could carry them through a long season. And with veterans like Condon and Handlogten leading the way, the Gators appear ready to defend their crown with the same physicality and determination that earned them that championship banner now hanging in the rafters.
Next Up: The Gators face rival Florida State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network as they look to continue their dominant home form.